A variety of surgical drapes have been developed in the medical field for creating a sterile field surrounding the surgery site on the patient. A wide variety of drape configurations, shapes and features have also been developed. For certain anatomical extremities, such as shoulders and knees, for example, a variety of drapes have been designed with structural features which accommodate the geometry of the extremity.
Surgical drapes which are specifically tailored for use with procedures performed on shoulders, knees and arms, are known. Such extremity drapes can include fenestrations through which the limb or extremity is to be inserted to isolate such from the remainder of the body. For example, an extremity drape is described in Enright et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,915, which discloses an open ended tubular cover for an extremity with a sealable “pull-tab” to expose an access opening for surgery. Other drapes have been developed which contain exterior pouches to capture waste tissue and fluids associated with the procedure.
One problem associated with such extremity drapes is the need for additional drapes to fully form the sterile barrier for the patient. Another problem associated with extremity drapes is that they contain features specific for a particular anatomical extremity or surgery location.
There exists a need in the medical field for surgical drapes adapted for use with anatomical extremities while at the same time afford anatomical diversity, e.g., extremity drapes which can be adapted for use with different extremity shapes and sizes without the need for multiple drapes. A further need exists for surgical drapes adapted for use with extremities which are less awkward to assemble and position, and are constructed from fewer materials, relatively compact, and easy to manufacture and use.